Navdy Review – Head-Up Display For Navigation, Music, Text & Calls?

Navdy is a device that sits on the dashboard of your car to create a Heads Up Display (HUD). Find out everything you need to know about Navdy today in our review.

What Is Navdy?

Navdy promises to deliver “fighter pilot technology for your car”. The unique device sits on your dashboard, then displays a HUD in front of your eyes. That HUD is transparent – so you can see your music, messages, or calls while still seeing the road without issue.

The device is priced at $800 and is available through Amazon, where it’s extremely well-reviewed (average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 with a total of 100+ reviews).

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how Navdy can make you a smarter, better driver.

Navdy Features

In an introductory video for Navdy, a user is seen walking to his car in the morning, dropping Navdy into his car’s cup holder, and then listening as Navdy takes over.

Navdy greets the driver by name, then provides the fastest route to a destination the driver previously selected on his phone.

With Navdy, you don’t have to check or touch your phone while you’re driving.

Obviously, with a growing number of countries banning cell phone use while driving, many drivers either break the law and continue to use their phones, or are looking for a safer legal solution.

The driver in the video linked above is seen using gesture controls to answer his phone. After Navdy displays an incoming call, the driver swipes his hand above his steering wheel, then answers the phone.

Navdy also alerts the driver halfway through the drive, claiming that there’s a faster route available to save 10 minutes.

You can switch the display on Navdy with the touch of a button. You can go from navigational mode to a standard HUD display, for example, which indicates your speed, direction, and other information you’d typically find on your car’s dashboard.

All of this information is displayed across a transparent interface “so your eyes are never off your road”.

Navdy is 40 times brighter than your cell phone, but also dims at night so it’s always easy to see.

Another advantage of Navdy is that it doesn’t just navigate using Google Maps: it also navigates using offline maps built into the system – so even if you drive somewhere without cell service, you should have no trouble finding your way around.

Interestingly, Navdy can also connect with your car to keep track of things like your gas. In the video, Navdy issues a “low gas warning” alert, then reroutes to the nearest gas station.

Like other hands-free devices for your car, you can also tell Navdy to message your contacts. You can say “Text Karen and tell her I’m going to be 15 minutes late”, for example.

Overall, Features advertises are three core features:

Control Music: Navdy is compatible with any music player on your phone, including Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Google Play Music, and more.

Answer Calls and Messages: You can answer calls and messages with a swipe using Navdy’s gesture control, which lets you interact with your phone without having to pick it up.

Read Out Loud: Navdy will read messages, texts, emails, Facebook messages, WhatsApp messages, and other notifications out loud so you don’t have to check your phone while driving.

How To Use Navdy

Using Navdy is straightforward. Here’s the step by step guide:

Step 1

Mount Navdy to your dash. Navdy comes with a dash mount that can be bent, shaped, and molded to fit the unique dash of your car. There are three alignment options, including short, medium, or tall.

Choose the one that puts Navdy at the bottom of your field of view without blocking your view.

Step 2

Attach the Navdy dial. Navdy comes with a dial that lets you interact with your phone and the Navdy display while driving. You attach that dial to your steering wheel, where you can control it just like you would control music controls on your steering wheel.

Using the dial, you can scroll through menu options, select songs, scan through contacts, and select different navigational routes.

Step 3

Download the Navdy app. The app is available for iPhone and Android. It interacts with the Navdy display, which means you can interact with Navdy without needing to pick up your phone.

Some of the app’s features include view incoming calls, check messages, and select songs.

How Does Navdy Work?

Navdy uses a variety of technologies to give you a convenient HUD on your dashboard. Those technologies include:

Transparent Light:

Navdy’s HUD consists of lasers projected through a transparent screen. These lights purposely project the image into the distance “so the road stays in focus while you view the information”.

Sensors:

Navdy uses a GPS chip and antenna while sitting on the dash. Since it’s on the dash, these sensors have a clear line of communication with satellites overhead.

The device also features an accelerometer and gyrometer that “all work in tandem to pinpoint your car, destination and route” – even if you don’t have cell phone coverage in your area.

Gesture Sensor:

Navdy’s gesture sensor understands the difference between normal steering wheel movements and interactive swipes. Gesture control works in a split second and can be used at day or night.

Maps:

Navdy uses Google Maps as well as built-in offline maps. Together, these platforms track your location anywhere you go. Your purchase also comes with real-time traffic that keeps you on the fastest route.

Overall, Navdy claims to be “a new OS for your car”.

Navdy Pricing

Navdy is priced at $799 from Amazon or the official website. That price includes free shipping to the United States and Canada.

Navdy Reviews

Navdy is very well-reviewed online. At the time of writing, it had a total of 133 customer reviews on Amazon, nearly all of which were 5 star reviews. The product has an average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5.

Some of the pros and cons we learned from those reviews include:

Pros

Works well to consolidate your dashboard with your phone to give you a single, coherent, heads-up display

Easy to setup and easy to use

Extensive notification support, including alerts when you get a comment on Facebook, an email, or a new Instagram message

Installation takes about 20 minutes and is essentially just “plug and play”

“Made me a safer driver”, reports one reviewer, because they keep their eyes on the road more often

Totally configurable, as you can control which widgets appear on the HUD as you drive (including a compass, time/date, next calendar appointment, navigation, and other information)

Strong build quality and a body design that’s “reminiscent of an Apple product”

Gesture control works as advertised

Multiple controls, including the dial or gesture control, so there’s no need to use gesture control if you don’t want to

Cons

Ambient light sensor on the device can be annoying at night, like when you drive beneath a streetlight and the display brightens then immediately darkens when you leave the street light

Ultimately, there are few complaints about Navdy online. The product is extremely well-reviewed, and you can find many video reviews on YouTube reinforcing the positives listed above.

Who Makes Navdy?

Navdy is made by a team of people who come from NASA, Apple, Audi, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and other recognized institutions.

Key members of the team include Doug Simpson (CEO), Phil Constantinou (CPO) and Dan Currie (CRO).

To get in touch with Navdy, fill out the email form on their website. Navdy is based in San Francisco, California. The company was founded in 2013 and claims to offer “the world’s first augmented driving device for your car”.